Mobile County Commission President Connie Hudson says the county is fulfilling its obligation for funding the District Attorney's Office and won't be increasing the funding.

MOBILE, Alabama -- The Mobile County Commission is required under the law to pay salaries for as many as 28 prosecutors and eight legal assistants for the District Attorney’s Office, according to an opinion issued by the Alabama Attorney General’s Office.

The County Commission, though, disputed Rich’s interpretation of two local laws governing how her office should be funded. Rich then asked for an opinion from Attorney General Luther Strange’s office.

According to the opinion, the County Commission should pay for the staff as requested by Rich — a chief assistant district attorney, two attorneys for every Circuit Court judge, one attorney for every District Court judge and eight legal assistants.

Her office has been receiving funding for 22 attorneys and no funding from the county for legal assistants, according to officials in the District Attorney’s Office.

On Tuesday, Commission President Connie Hudson, said the commission’s attorneys believe the county has fully met its legal obligation for funding the prosecutor’s office — and even if the commission wanted to increase the funding, the county is in no financial position to do so.

She said the commission is facing a $10.6 million budget shortfall. Meanwhile, the District Attorney’s Office has not been cut, while other county agencies have recently, Hudson said.

“We are fully meeting our obligations under the law,” Hudson said. “We respectfully disagree with the Attorney General’s opinion and the D.A.’s.”

“We’re all in a financial dilemma right now,” the commissioner said.

Rich’s budget for this fiscal year, which ends Friday, is $5.4 million, $1.5 million of which comes from the county. State funding has been cut by one-third in recent years, and the prosecutor’s office has laid off 28 workers.

On Tuesday, Rich said she doesn’t understand why the County Commission would choose to ignore a legal opinion that it also requested.

She said she still hopes the two sides can resolve things.

“I really want to put this issue to bed and move on to prosecuting and doing the job the people elected me to do,” she said.

According to the opinion, the Attorney General’s Office is prohibited from issuing an opinion about events that have already occurred, and it therefore couldn’t address what Rich claims is $1.35 million owed in past-due funds since 2003.

“The district attorney and the county should work together to provide and fund the district attorney at the most efficient level consistent with the needs of the public and available funds,” the opinion said.

Statewide, the average prosecutor handles 2,385 cases per year, which is already a burdensome caseload, Rich has said. In Mobile County, Rich said, her prosecutors each handle an average of 2,986 cases.